John henry knight



(No Model.)

J. H. KNIGHT.

VELOCIPEDB.

Patented Nov. 9, 1897'. Flo l.

invtwron.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE JOHN HENRY KNIGHT, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

VELOCIPEDE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 593,300, dated November 9, 1897. Application filed December 26, 1896. Serial No. 617,134. (No model.) Patented in England April 30,1896, No. 9,124.

To all whom, t may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN HENRY KNIGHT, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, residing at St. Johns Wood, London, in the county of Middlesex, England, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Velocipedes, (for which I have obtained Letters Patent in Great Britain, No. 9,124, bearing date of April 30, 1896,) of which the following is a full and complete specilication.

This invention relates to the handle-bar pillar; and it consists in mounting the pillar in the stem of the fork of the steering-wheel so that its height in the said stem can be varied while riding, and of mechanism for instantly looking and unlocking the one part with respect to the other, the object being to enable a rider to adj ust the position of the handles- 7l. e., the handle-bar-according as necessity or inclination dictates while continuing to ride the machine.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate this invention, Figure 1 is a view in broken sectional elevation of the steeringsocket of a bicycle, showing the stem of the fork carrying the steering-wheel and the pillar carrying the handle-bar, together with the mechanism for locking the one to the other. Figs. 2 and 3 are plan views, on an enlarged scale, of the under side of the handle-bar pillar. Fig. 4. is a view in broken elevation, on an enlarged scale, showing a modication; and Figs. 5 and 6 are transverse views, the former showing a planof the under side of the handle-bar pillar and the latter being a section on line Fig. 4. Fig. 7 is a broken elevation, on an enlarged scale, showing another form my invention may assume. Figs. 8 and 9 are views in transverse section showing the action of the locking eccentric; and Fig. 10 is a view in transvere section showing an alternative method of guiding the handlebar pillar in the stem of the steering-fork.

Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.-

Referring to Figs. 1, 2, and 3, the tubular handle-bar pillar A is mounted in the tubular stem B of the fork adapted to carry the steering-wheel, so as to be an easy sliding nt therein, and it is guided to retain the handlebar in its true transverse position by means of suitable guides. These may conveniently take the form of one ormore keys, feathers, or their equivalents a, formed on or fixed to the pillar A, and of one or more grooves, featherways, or their equivalents h, either formed in the tubular stem B, in which case it would be made of a stouter gage, or in a liner B', 'xed within the said stein, as shown in the drawings. As an alternative construction (see Fig. 10) the'pillar A or a part of it may be made of a D or polysided shape and the stem B be made of a corresponding shape at a portion of its length by means of an insertion or washer b or equivalent device.

The pillar A is locked to the tubular stem B by means of an eccentric device operated by a rod C, passing down through it and guided by a bearing, such as a2, formed in or xed to the pillar A.

The rod C is actuated by a lever, such as D, fixed on its upper end above the top of the lug a', carrying the transverse handlebar E, as shown by Fig. 1.

The eccentric device is constructed in the following manner: The lower end of the tubular pillar A is slit up for a convenient distance in one or more places to enable it to be expanded. A convenient construction is to split it in two places to divide it into two halves, in which case the bore of the said split part is made of an oval shape, the minor axis being at right angles to the divisions, as shown by Figs. 2 and 3. On the lower end of the rod C is fixed a cam or double eccentric F of oval shape in transverse section, so that it coincides with the oval shape of the bore of the pillar A, as shown by Figs. 1 and 2. By rotating the said cam or eccentric F by means of the lever D and rod C the split parts of the tubular pillar A are forced apart, as shown by Fig. 3, and are thus caused to grip the tubular stem B at whatever part the lower end of the pillar A happens to be.

Instead of splitting the lower end of the tubular pillar A, a block G, (see Figs. 4., 5,.

and 6,) having a tubular extension G', may be brazed or otherwise iix'ed to its lower end, the bore of the said tubular extension being of oval shape in cross-section and split vertically at g and transversely at g' for 4about half its diameter. The cam or eccentric F and the rod C are as before described.

As a further modification, (see Figs. 7, 8,

IOO

and 9,) the rod C may be mounted eccentrically in the pillar A by means of suitable bearings, such as a2, and on the said rod are mounted one, two, or more small cams or eccentrics F, adapted to pass through small slots or openings a3 in the tubular pillar A and bear against the interior of the tubular stem B and thus lock the two said parts together. Fig. 8 shows the cam or eccentric F in its locking position, and Fig. 9 shows it in its unlocked position. By this construction a grip can conveniently be obtained between the tubular pillar A and the tubular stem B at more than one place at the same time.

To prevent the handle-bar pillar A from being totally withdrawn from the stem B when raising the handle-bar, a cap H is screwed onto the top of the stem B above the nut or its equivalent for locking the top cone of the ball-bearing head, and the said cap is preferably recessed to receive a washer, such as h, which may be of rubber or other suitable material.

a steering-wheel fork, of a longitudinallyslidable pillar A splined in the said stem and forming a support for -the handle-bar, the lower end portion of the said pillar being provided with longitudinal slots and an oval socket having its minor axis at right angles to the said slots, a rod C journaled in bearings in the pillar Aand prevented from sliding longitudinally of the said pillar, an ovalshaped cam secured on the lower end portion of the said rod inside the said socket, and means for partially revolving the said rod secured to its upper end portion, substantially as set forth.

JOHN HENRY KNIGHT.

Vitnesses:

ROBERT E. PHILLIPS, W. H. JAMES. 

